This invention relates generally to the attaching of two objects together wherein the objects are capable of moving toward and away from one another, particularly, to lines used to attach said objects to one another.
The popularity of recreational water sports and water sports has increased greatly over the last decade as seen by increased recreational sales. This too has increased ownership of personal watercrafts and boats that include yachts, rafts, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats and ski boats. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cboat(s)xe2x80x9d is intended to include any watercraft or boat.
An issue with owning boats, and especially motorized boats, is the docking of them. Not only is it helpful to have an experienced staff to operate a boat, but also it is also helpful that the staff and the captain have the knowledge of securing the boat properly to the item that the captain has decided to dock with. This item will be referred to as docking object throughout the rest of the text. Also, the act of docking a boat will be referred to as mooring. Rope is generally the item used as mooring line to secure boats to a docking object. Rope used to as mooring line, typically, is made of either nylon or cotton. Rope tying experience is recommended for securing a boat to a dock, and there are many different rope-tying methods for docking a boat that can be used. Most novices and inexperienced boaters are unsure of how to moor a boat and can use overly complex and in turn, inadequate, securing methods with the line in efforts to ensure that the boat will stay where it was parked. Novice rope tying efforts in mooring a boat can be time consuming and inadequate, and can eventually cause the boat to become unsecured.
Another concern other than securing the boat to a docking object is the question of how tightly to secure the boat and the distance the boat is to be secured away from the the docking object. A boat secured too tightly will lead to greater and more frequent impacts with the docking object. When secured too loosely a boat is able to gain momentum before collision with the docking object. In the case of mooring a boat to four posts as commonly occurs for long-term mooring, the object is normally to keep an equal distance between the posts and the boat. This can prove to be a complex task for the inexperienced.
Mooring lines made of cotton or nylon do not cushion a boat""s abundant rocking caused mainly by: wakes created by passing boats; persons moving about a boat; waves, or the like. Rocking motions generally lead a boat to impact with the docking object if secured closely with the docking object. Currently, marine bumpers accomplish cushioning a boat from such impacts. Marine bumpers are sold abundantly throughout the water sports market and can be found in most marine equipment retail stores. Marine bumpers are placed between the boat and the docking object, generally, to dampen the impact between the two objects. If not for the marine bumpers, the boat is allowed to impact with the docking object directly. The force of a boat rocking back and forth against a docking object can have harmful effects on a moored boat.
To further explain the force that a boat receives while docked, a great deal can be explained by examining the mooring line used to moor a boat. It is very well known that the wake from a passing vessel causes the mooring lines of the boat to first relax, gathering some slack, and then as the wave ebbs, the lines become taut imparting a shock in the line which is transmitted to the boat itself. This is particularly unpleasant if the boat serves as a residence especially at times when the crew is aboard is seeking some rest. The shocks applied are disruptive as well as having deleterious effects on the mooring lines, boat and dock. Repeated applications of impact loads gradually stretch and weaken the mooring lines, and can damage boat and docking objects.
Literature has been found for several different types of shock absorbers for accommodating the tensile shock loads in anchor cables and mooring lines. One of the simplest solutions to the problem was to wrap the mooring line around a length of elastic rubber material such that the rubber served to tighten the lines as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,507 to Derman. This construction tended to wear out quickly and was marginally effective in controlling the larger shocks in the associated mooring lines. Another arrangement was to use a spring mounted in a frame so that the pull upon the line tended to compress the spring that, when the tensile forces in the line diminished to less than the spring force, the spring reacted to diminish the shock effect. Such apparatus was noisy and thus interfered with the comfort of those living on, say, a houseboat, and springs from contact with seawater had a short service life and often failed. One such spring arrangement is shown in the Strain, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,681, which incorporated a nest of springs in a housing mounted so that the springs compress as tensile loads were applied to members in the housing supporting the springs. Such of an arrangement is costly to manufacture and all the springs are vulnerable to the corrosive effect of water.
Other metal and mechanical items attempting the effect of reducing shock can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,094,096, 4,754,957, and 5,524,566, all vulnerable to the corrosive effects of water.
With any of these previous, mechanical shock absorbing devices listed also come difficulties associated with their use. Shock absorbing implements to use in conjunction with typical mooring lines have been constructed of abrasive and non-pliable, rigid material that can be detrimental or harming to a boat. The materials have been comprised of steel that can cause damage to a boat as well as the docking object to which it is moored. Storing of the many mechanical models is often difficult due to size, shape and material composition.
Not only are the shock absorbing apparatuses apparently detrimental, but generally the designs have not been incorporated into a line that are made easy enough for most anyone to use. Most shock absorbers have been designed as an insert into a mooring line. The claimed line has incorporated ease of use, adjustable length and shock absorbing components all in one unit.
Easy to use and shock absorbing is a combination that would best help boat owners and users enjoy water leisure activities as well as other activities where complicated rope and knot tying are used in: securing two items together; securing one item to another, or other tying needs. A mooring line with components familiar to the inexperienced and novice boat users, and even experienced boat users, can assist in making a difficult mooring task easier.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved line for attaching two objects together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a line which is particularly well suited for attaching two objects together in a marine environment, such as a boat to a dock.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a line which is uncomplicated in construction yet effective in operation.
This invention resides in a line for attaching two objects together wherein the two objects are capable of moving toward and away from one another.
The line includes a length of tubing constructed of substantially inelastic fabric material and having two opposite ends which are each adapted to be attached to a corresponding one of two objects for attaching the two objects together with the line. In addition, the length of tubing has a central section disposed between its opposite ends wherein the central section has opposite end portions, and the fabric material of the central section is movable lengthwise between a gathered condition and a fully-stretched condition to accommodate a lengthening of the line as the opposite end portions of the central section are moved farther apart from a condition at which the central section is in a gathered condition and to accommodate a shortening of the line as the opposite end portions of the central section are moved closer together from a condition at which the central section is in a fully-stretched condition.
The line also includes biasing means acting upon the central section for biasing the end portions of the central section toward one another to thereby bias the central section from the fully-stretched condition toward the gathered condition. When the opposite ends of the tubing are attached between two objects capable of moving toward and away from one another, the biasing means opposes the movement of the two objects away from one another and the distance that the two objects can be moved away from one another is limited by the length of the central section when in its fully-stretched condition. Furthermore, when the two objects move toward one another from the condition at which the central section is in its fully-stretched condition, the biasing means biases the central section toward the gathered condition.
In one embodiment of the invention, the line is a nearly infallible shock absorbing and adjustable length mooring and utility line capable of use by all users, i.e. from the novice to experienced boat hands, and for general tying occasions. The adjustable shock absorbing mooring and utility line has an unequivocal benefit when used to moor boats in that it reduces physical stress exerted on the boat caused by waves and other motion that normally causes the boat to rock or thrash while in the water. Such motions can cause damage to the vehicle if allowed to rock freely. The other benefits of the adjustable shock absorbing mooring and utility line include: a design so that it can be used to secure boat easily with little if any rope-tying experience or knowledge; easy-to-use hardware components known to most; can be manufactured with a varied thickness and design of materials in order to accommodate the needs of boat, all outdoor, and even indoor uses as required; ease of construction and manufacturing; few parts vulnerable to water corrosion or wear, and stores compactly and easily. The line, as in the preferred embodiment, eliminates rope tying skills required by boat owners and users. The length of the line is easily adjustable and accommodates several mooring uses with many different attachment options.